Human Qualities
by ForeverandAlways
Summary: After all, they're both only human. Set in the future.


After all, they're both only human. Set in the future.

…

She hears the sound of the cab door slam from outside and she shuffles forward to meet him. She swings open the door and plasters a smile across her face.

"Hey baby."

Every time he leaves, even on a short trip, she misses him. His uniquely crooked smirk. The way his eye twitches when he's angry. How he can never seem to replace the empty milk carton. Even the infuriating parts of him, she misses it all.

She misses him so much that she temporarily forgets about the pit currently lodged in the bottom of her stomach.

"So, how was your conference?"

She had been puttering about all day, keeping herself distracted with housework and marking papers; she had barely had any time to focus on _that. _Just barely.

"Oh you know how it goes, the same old spiel. I swear, they're so concerned with portraying a consistent image of the company that they'll publish any bullshit people send them."

This is good. If she can keep him raving about work, maybe she can delay the inevitable.

"But I can't even talk about it anymore. I missed you." He smiles at her genuinely, heaving his luggage onto their bed with a groan.

"How was your week? Anything exciting you forgot to tell me?"

She perches herself onto the edge of the windowsill. Feeling her stomach flip over, she watches him move to the bathroom, settling his toiletries away in their proper place.

"Oh it was good. Nothing too crazy."

She inhales deeply and continues, "Alli and I went to dinner at that Moroccan place on Queen West on Friday. Yoga on Sunday. I'm pregnant. And oh, on Monday I collected those essays on Steinbeck in modern society."

She cringes when she hears the movement from the next room halt. And when his face appears in the doorway he seems completely overwhelmed.

"What?"

She clears her throat with a cough, "I said, I'm pregnant."

He starts to pace in a circle around the room, "How this did this happen? I thought you were being careful."

What did he just say?

"I'm sorry? I missed the part where I got _myself _pregnant."

She sees a flash of anger pass over his features before he rakes a hand across his face.

"That's not what I meant and you know it. It's just," he pauses briefly, "I thought _we_ were being careful."

This is not the reaction she had expected. She had expected him to be surprised, perhaps even worried, but she did not anticipate him being this irritated.

"We _are_ being careful. That's why they call it an accident."

He stops pacing abruptly and sits down on the bed, his back facing her.

"You're still finishing grad school, and working full time. And I'm barely around lately. It's just really not a good time."

She looks incredulously at the back of her husband's head. Seven years together and she doesn't think she's ever felt so angry with him. Damn hormones.

"Well", she spits, "perhaps you should let me know when would be a better time for me to tell you I'm pregnant."

She can't be here with him anymore.

She lifts herself to her feet and stomps angrily down the stairs, grabbing her keys and slamming the door deliberately behind her.

…

He should go after her. He should be going after her _now. _But, damn, she's pregnant. He's barely 24, and he's going to be a father.

Crap.

He isn't sure how long he sits there before he gets up to his feet. He paces the room, searching for his discarded sneakers.

He can hear his phone ringing from downstairs, but he is too distracted to answer. Where could she have gone? Alli's? Maybe she went to her mother's place?

When he reaches the foot of the staircase he grabs his phone and grunts into the receiver.

"What?"

He hears a deep sigh on the other line.

"You know you're an asshole, right?"

He can't help but agree. "Oh, I'm painfully aware."

He hears Adam whisper from the other end, "She's crying. She's been trying not to, but she just keeps yelling, which makes her cry. You know I hate it when she cries. "

If it's possible he feels like even more of a jackass. Not only did he practically ignore his wife when she told him that she's having his kid, but now his best friend is stuck in the middle of this mess.

"I'm coming now." He assures his friend.

"You'd better hurry Goldsworthy. Before my neighbours call the cops."

…

She feels bad for putting Adam in such an awkward spot. He's always hated being the third wheel in their relationship, but somehow he seems to be permanently fixed in the role. She would've gone to Alli's house, but she's on a date. That would just be unfair.

"I'm so sorry for coming here like this."

She looks up at her best friend, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"It's okay, you can always come here. Especially when he's being an idiot."

They both are chuckling at his joke when they hear a soft knock on the door. Adam stands to answer and she swears she can her him muttering under his breath, "it's show time."

She turns her head away from her husband as he steps over the threshold. There is no way she's going to make this easy for him.

"Hi." He sounds nervous when he speaks and she grunts aloud at his behaviour. Men.

"Well", Adam leans down to place a kiss on the top of her head. "I have some laundry downstairs. I'll just let you two be…alone."

She hears the door shut from across the room and feels Eli's weight rest next to her on the couch.

"So, I take it you're not talking to me?"

She nods her head, wiping away a stray tear before she speaks.

"And maybe since you are _so_ against this whole thing, I can keep not talking to you until the baby comes."

She flinches when she feels him put a soothing hand on her lower back.

"What about all of the doctors appointments? And Lamaze classes? And cupcake runs?"

She lifts her nose high into the air and shifts her body away from his.

"I can take care of it myself", she chokes out.

She hears him release a heavy breath and pulls her back toward him.

"Clare. I'm so sorry."

He sounds so utterly pathetic that she turns her head to look at him. When she sees the pained look in his eyes she reaches forward to rub her hand over the stumble that has accumulated on his chin.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier?"

She can feel her anger melting at the sound of concern in his voice, but tries to remain indignant.

"It's not the kind of thing you tell someone over the phone. "

…

When she speaks she lets out a strangled sob, and he can't help but wrap his arms around her tightly. His heart breaks even further when she buries her face in his chest, finally letting all of her anguish bubble to the surface.

"Don't cry baby, it's okay. It's okay."

She allows herself to cry for a few minutes before she looks at him again. He notices that her eyes are shining as blue as ever.

"I'm not sure if we can do this. We're so young. We have barely any savings."

He tries to cut off her rant, but she ignores him.

"And god, my family, they're so screwed up. My parents barely speak to each other, and I haven't even seen my sister since I was fourteen!"

He can't let her do this to herself anymore.

"Clare, stop it."

She looks at him meaningfully and waits for him to continue speaking. He realizes that he doesn't have the faintest idea of what to say to comfort her. He's pretty freaked out himself, but he has to rise above it for her.

"You'll be an amazing mother." He blurts truthfully.

She smiles at him momentarily before the tears fill her eyes again.

"We are _so_ not ready for this."

He leans forward and puts his hands on either side of her face.

"Listen up. I'm scared too. Hell, I'm terrified. I don't know if I'll be a good father. I don't know if I'll screw this kid up. But I do know that you and I together? We can do this."

He watches her as she exhales deeply and closes her eyes.

"Do you really think we can do this?"

He strokes a hand over her curls lovingly and grins to himself.

"We've always made a pretty good team."

She laughs heartily and he can feel himself relax at the sound. Holy, they're going to be parents.

He hears a rustling noise from outside the tiny apartment and the door bursts open to reveal an excited Adam.

"Can we all hug now?"

…

**A/N: **This story lends its name from a song by one of my favorite bands. I feel the title is pretty accurate given both of their responses. As well, this story is based on a portion of 'Intertwining', an old story I read during my OTH days. I hope I can do it justice.


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